'Kanye West for president' gains steam on social media in the wake of Trump victory

Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune

Kanye West performs at the United Center in Chicago on Friday, October 7, 2016.

Kanye West performs at the United Center in Chicago on Friday, October 7, 2016.

(Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Helena Andrews-DyerWashington Post

They've got to be joking, right? Wrong. If there's one thing Nov. 8 taught us, it's that entertainment and American politics are not exactly mutually exclusive. Enter Kanye West for president.

The rapper and husband of reality TV star Kim Kardashian West announced at the 2015 Video Music Awards that he planned on making a bid for the highest office in the land.

"And yes as you probably could've guessed by this moment I have decided in 2020 to run for president," said West, after admitting that he had smoked "something" to knock the edge off before he accepted MTV's Vanguard award. After that announcement, West dropped the mic and waltzed off the stage while the crowd went wild.

That was more than a year ago, but Tuesday night, emboldened by Trump's stunning win, West fans (and potential voters) picked up the rapper's mantle anew. The hashtag "#kanye2020″ started to gain steam on Twitter.

For his part, West, whose last tweet was a happy birthday message to his wife, Kim, has remained silent on social media. But in August, he told BBC Radio 1 that he was concerned about issues such as police brutality and wanted to do something to "make a difference" in his lifetime.

"When I talk about the idea of being president, I'm not saying I have any political views," the rapper said. "I just have a view on humanity, on people, on the truth."